


The Window Chronicles

by graceolina37



Series: The Window Chronicles [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: M/M, slowburn to an extreme extent, theyre like 14 in this, timeline isnt totally accurate but just deal with it please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21866011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graceolina37/pseuds/graceolina37
Summary: All the major moments in Eddie and Richie's relationship as they go from friends to possibly something more and beyond, all seem to involve a certain second-story bedroom window.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: The Window Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612723
Comments: 8
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

_**June 1989 ** __****_

_****__** ** _

_****__** ** _

Richie Tozier had no idea what he was doing. 

He reached up a hand, grabbing onto the tree to pull himself into it, the rough bark scratching against his skin as his hand slid over it. He was pretty sure he hadn’t climbed a tree since he was like, 11--maybe 12--and he had certainly never been up this one; the Kaspbraks backyard had always been off-limits, since Sonia had never fully approved of her sons friends, much less their roughhousing and partaking in any activities that could get her precious Eddie hurt.

Richie thought about that as he scaled the tree, making his way up and hoping that his foot wouldn't slip off a branch and land him on the ground. If he got hurt, he would really be in trouble. Having to explain to Mrs. Kaspbrak and his parents and all of his friends why he was at Eddie's house at 11:30 at night wasn't something he could do without being severely embarrassed. 

That's why he wasn't sure if this was such a good idea. Hell, he knew for a fact that it wasn't a good idea. But he was Richie Tozier after all, and all of his terrible ideas seemed like they actually could be good ones if you really squinted. It was the same way in how even though he had no idea what he was doing--even though he was known to be constantly loud and clumsy and chaotic--he really knew exactly what he was doing. He was climbing the tree so he could get to Eddie and make sure that his best friend was okay. It had been seven days since the boy had broken his arm, and his overbearing mother didn't let him see the light of day since. He had to make sure Eddie was feeling better himself, and that he wasn't going crazy after having his only human contact the past week be with Sonia Kaspbrack. And most of all, he wanted to make sure that Eddie hadn't forgotten about him yet. So even though his methods may not have been the most convenient or the most safe, in his mind he was just doing what he had to do.

But that didn't mean wasn't a little bit nervous. When he finally climbed onto the edge of the roof and up the tiles to the second-story window, he couldn't help but wonder what the boy on the other side of the glass would think when he knocked on it in the middle of the night. All the lights were off, so he was probably sleeping, or at least trying to sleep--who knew if he would even be able to hear. 

Richie did his best to push down his worries as he rapped his knuckles on the cool glass of the windowpane. It only occurred to him after the knock that it might scare Eddie. Richie knocked again with a pattern, in an attempt to let his friend know that it wasn't a monster or a murderer outside his window. He knew Eddie would hide under the covers if he thought there was.

After a few moments of sitting in the dark, wondering if his tree climbing efforts were going to have gone completely to waste when he never actually got to see Eddies, the faint glow of a bedside lamp lit up the room, and Richie could see shadows on the wall in front of him that showed someone moving around the room. Then he finally saw what he was here for step into his view through the glass.

Eddie, in checkered pajama bottoms a plain white t-shirt, hair rumpled from laying down for a period of time, looked somewhat confused to be seeing Richie sitting on his side roof. When he dropped the baseball bat from his good arm where he was holding in the air in a ready to strike position, he may have even looked a little pleased to see the other boy. But then, as he slowly started to approach the window to open it and question why Richie was at his house at such an hour--why Richie was at his house at all-- Eddie looked how he normally looked when he was around the curly-haired boy: very, very annoyed.

Eddie opened the window but made no move to step aside and let Richie in.

“Richie? What are you doing here?” the shorter boy started talking, “It's like, the middle of the night!” he said, a little more exasperated than necessary.

“I wanted to see you,” Richie told him.

“You know if mom sees that you're here she'll kill you. And then ill really never get to see you again,” Sonia Kaspbrack seemed to always be the source of Richie’s problems. She was the one keeping Eddie on lockdown in his house, keeping Eddie away from him.

“Hey Eds--” Richie started to attempt to calm his friend down as he want on rambling about how tired they were going to be.

“Don't call me Ed’s” Eddie said in response his face sharp with as much anger as he could muster so late at night, “and what were you even thinking? The window Richie, seriously? What were you thinking? You could have-”

“Eddie,” Richie said louder and Eddie let his sentence trail off, falling silent to listen to him, “let me in, yeah? It's cold out here,” it wasn't. It was June, and with the sun finally down it was almost the perfect temperature, but he knew Eddie wouldn't want him to catch a chill anyway. 

Richie raised his eyebrows and flashed a simile, pleading with his friend to finally let him through the window. After a moment, Eddie's face softened and he moved aside to let him in, and Richie tumbled his way through the frame and into his friend's room.

When Richie had composed himself, he looked over to see Eddie, good arm crossed over his chest and worried expression an indicator that he was right--this may not have been the best idea. But he was here, so he was going to at least try and make everything--anything--better in whatever way he could.

“Richie, seriously. What--”

“I just wanted to know that you were okay” Richie interrupted. He didn't see any reason to further explain why he was there, because he was there for Eddie. He just needed to make that clear. When Eddie scoffed and looked away, Richie thought that maybe he didn't. Maybe Eddie didn't know that not seeing him for a week had made Richie himself go somewhat crazy. Just as he was about to say something to affirm it, though, Eddie met his eyes again.

“Rich...” was all that Eddie said, but it was enough. Enough for Richie to know that his best friend knew how much, and how deeply he cared for him. Richie didn't speak again, and that seemed to agitate Eddie all over again, “Is that all you came here to say? Are you going to go now, or are you just-”

“I was thinking I could stay,” Richie cut him off again. And just like that, Eddie's eyes went wide again as he started shaking his head.

“No, no, no,” Eddie said, “you can't do that. My mom, when she comes in in the morning-”

“C’mon, Eddie. Your moms not even gonna be able to walk after I-”

“Beep beep, Richie,” Eddie said, and Richie sighed. He just wanted Eddie to understand that he didn't want to leave him.

“Seriously. Just set your alarm and I'll be gone before she even wakes up,” Richie said, hoping it was enough for Eddie to let him stay.

Eddie looked like he was thinking about it. His face showed that he was skeptical, but after a long minute, he came out with something of an agreement.

“You have to get up though. You can't hit snooze and then be her when my mom comes to get me up for my medicine or else-”

“Hey. it'll be fine,” Richie said, reassuring smile on his face, “promise.”

“Okay,” Eddie said softly before making his way back over to the bed, grabbing the bat from by the windowsill and tucking it back under it in the process. He pulled back the covers and got under the soft fabric of his duvet, propping himself up on his elbows above the pillow as he watched a very awkward looking Richie glance around the room, obviously trying to figure out where he was going to sleep for the night.

And here again, was more proof that Richie Tozier had no idea what he was doing. He really hadn't thought this far. Richie looked down at the rug next to Eddie's bed and decided that it was probably his best bet as far as sleeping places went. Of all of his friends, he had probably been to Eddie's house the least, just because his mother didn't like to have other people over much. Nothing was as familiar to him here as it was at Bill or Stan's house. Even Ben's. Not sure what to do next, he plopped down on the ground and looked up at Eddie.

“Um…” Richie started, and Eddie looked at him expectantly, “can I have one of your pillows?”

“Uh-uh,” Eddie said, shaking his head, “You're not putting one of my pillows on the ground, literally where your feet just were. And besides, you shouldn't sleep on the floor anyway, it's bad for your back.”

“But I sleep on the floor all the time,” Richie said back, confused. Eddie rolled his eyes at the taller boy.

“Yeah, but Bills living room is carpeted,” Eddie started, “this is hardwood. Sleeping on it will put a knot in your neck that won't go away for a week,” Richie continued to stare up at Eddie, not saying anything, and after thinking for a moment Eddie spoke again.

“You can sleep up here with me,” He said. Richie’s eyebrows raised and he looked surprised for a moment until his expression settled into a smirk.

“Is my dear Eddie Spaghetti asking me to get between the sheets with him?” Richie jokes.

“You know what, sleep on the floor. I don't even care. Or better yet, just leave,” Eddie said, laying down and turning away from Richie. However, the other boy was already making his way off the floor to get under the covers of his friends’ twin bed.

“Nope. you can't get rid of me now. There are no take-backs on an offer like that,” Richie said, adjusting his gangly limbs in the small space in an attempt to fit comfortably.

“Just turn off the light, Richie,” Eddie said in response. Richie reached a long arm out and flipped the switch on the lamp, and after some maneuvering, they both ended up on their backs, Eddie squished up against the wall, his left side pressed against his friend, and Richie with one arm hanging off the bed. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but they were making it work for the time being. They sat in silence for a moment, Richie thinking that they were meant to just go to sleep, and that would be it before Eddie finally spoke up.

“I've missed being with you guys,” Eddie said once he realized there was no way he was going to be able to sleep in his current position, “It's only been a week and I already feel like too much of the summer has been wasted. Like I should be spending all this time I've been held up in here with you.”

“We're going to the quarry tomorrow. I could try and sneak you out so you can come with us,” Richie offered.

“I can't get my cast wet,” Eddie said, to which Richie only muttered a quiet “oh” in response.

“I guess it's okay though. I should let my arm heal before I do too much and end up hurting it again,” Richie thought that was bullshit, that it was just Sonias words in his head and that Eddie would be too careful to let anything else happen anyway, but he knew it wasn't the right time to say anything.

“We miss you too,” was all Richie said in response. After that, they sat in silence for a moment, which as unlike them. Eddie wasn't comfortable where he was lying, and he knew Richie couldn't be wither, and it might have been the awkwardness of their positions that led them into silence.

“Here, turn over,” Eddie said to try and fix the situation. Richie listened and started to move to face outward into Eddie's room, “Not, turn toward me, dipshit.”

“Hey there's no need for name-calling,” Richie said, finally turning to face Eddie and Eddie turned himself on his side as well so he was looking at the other boy, “and how was I supposed to know which way you meant?”

“Whatever,” was all Eddie said as he finished adjusting his body to lay comfortably on the side, “that's better, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” Richie said, and Eddie could see the faint outlines of a smile, even in the darkness. After a moment. Richie spoke up again:

“Oh my gosh, you're never going to believe what Ben told me on Tuesday,” Richie started, and from there told Eddie all about the interesting facts Ben had told him, along with all the gossip he had gotten from Bev about what their other classmates were doing over the summer. He told Eddie how Bill and Stan were ding, and how Mike had said he was going to have to start spending less time with them and more time on the farm. Eddie reacted but barely said anything in response, content to listen to Riches explain what he had missed during his week under house arrest. 

With all the tension of the new situation gone, they talked until they were both yawning, only stopping once Eddie suggested they get some sleep since Richie did have to be up in only about four hours at that point. With little argument, Richie agreed and Eddie let his eyes drift closed, a soft smile on his lips because of the boy lying next to him, and overall the first peaceful night he had had as of recent. And even though his arm was broken, his mom wasn't going to let him out of the house any time soon, and he was going to be woken up by the blaring of an alarm way too early for a summer day, he was content.

Just as Eddie was about to fall into sleep, He felt Richie shift closer to him and put an arm over his waist, the taller boy shifting so his chin could rest against the top of his friend's head. And with Richie's warmth around him, that was when Eddie decided he really felt content. And then he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**_August 1989 _ ****__**

**__****_ _ **

**__****_ _ **

Despite the late hour, Eddie Kaspbrak was wide awake. It was almost 11:00 and he was sitting on his bed, the covers not yet drawn, legs hanging off the edge and gaze of the floor. Every once in a while he would glance up at the window, maybe even walk over and look out of it to see if there was a figure coming up the tree, but when there wasn't he made it back to his bed, sitting up or laying down for a few moments. He was anxious, and because of it, he couldn't keep still. He needed to see Richie, and he needed to see him soon.

Over the past couple of months, the Tozier boy had taken to coming over to Eddie's house a couple nights a week, sneaking in through the window long after the sun had gone down. After the first night Richie snuck in, he insisted that he should come over to check on Eddie more frequently to make sure his mom wasn't driving him insane. But even after he had gotten his cast off a few weeks ago, he had kept on coming over. His mom was slowly starting to let him out again, and he had even been able to hang out with the other losers a couple times, but despite that, Eddie had continued to receive a sharp knock on his window every few nights, accompanied by a toothy smile on the other side of the pane. If anything, Richie might have been coming over more often as of recent. Eddie didn't really understand, but he wasn't about to complain. Especially when it made Richie more likely to show up tonight.

Eddie continued to sit in his spot, minute after slow minute willing the appearance of dark curls and pale skin outside his window. He thought about reading a comic book or doing something to pass the time, but he didn't think he could focus, both because he was already so focused on Richie, and because of what he had found out earlier that day. And when you find out something that makes it seem like a big part of your life has been a lie, comic books seem pretty silly.

It was that afternoon when he had made a trip to the pharmacy for his mother that Gretta had told him about placebos. Specifically, she had told him that all of the medicine he took was a placebo. All of it. At first, he had thought she was joking, just being mean for the sake of it. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. His mother had always tried to control him, so why wouldn't she go to these lengths to do it?

He was still trying to process everything, and just figure out if he really believed it or not. That's why he needed Richie. Well really, any of his other friends would probably be 100% more helpful than Richie in terms of offering advice, but he really didn't have any other options tonight. If he was being honest with himself, though, he didn't need the taller boy to give him advice. Eddie knew that he would feel better about everything just with Richie's arms tight around him. Even if he didn't figure it all out, just having his friend near him would at least ease some of the panic he was feeling. 

With the thoughts of Richie invading his mind, it made Eddie long for his friend even more. But if he was going to come, he would have been there by now, and suddenly Eddie felt a whole new panic settle deep in his stomach: the feeling that he was hopelessly alone. He felt his breath catch, and his eyes started to burn with tears. He didn't wipe them away, but let them fall silently down his cheeks as he watched the floor begin to blur behind his vision.

Just as Eddie was about to lay down, he heard a knock at the window. Finally. He was flooded with relief and disbelief all at once. But as he all but kept up and started up towards the window, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that Richie was going to see that he was crying. That emotion was overpowered by Eddie's elation as he unlocked his window and pushed the frame up, reaching through to physically pull Richie out of the night air and into his room.

“Hey, Ed-“ Richie started playfully before he was cut off by the tin on his arm, “Woah, what’s—Eddie?” He sounded worried, and when he looked closer at his friend and saw his red face and puffy eyes his worry only grew.

“Eddie, what’s wrong?” Richie asked, but received no answer from Eddie except for the tears that filled his eyes again. Richie panicked for a moment, not really knowing what to do as Eddie put his face in his hands.

Richie just watched, listening to his friends muffled sobs for longer than he probably should have before springing into action and wrapping his arms around Eddie's small frame. He rubbed his hands up and down the other boys back, trying to find some way to calm him down.

“Hey, hey, hey” Richie has no idea what he was supposed to say in this situation, “Eddie, Eddie. What wrong?” Eddie just shook his head, hands still pressed into his face and leaned further into his friend.

“Hey” Richie tried again. He pulled back slightly and moved his hands to grab Eddie's wrists in an attempt to pull them away from his face, “look at me. Just look at me, Eddie.”

As asked, Eddie reluctantly looked up at his dark-haired friend, his breathing still sporadic and tears still wetting his face. Richie slid his hands from Eddie's wrists to intertwine their fingers together before moving the both of them across the room to sit down on the bed. He dropped one of the smaller boy's hands to replace it on his back. while the other stayed locked in its grip.

“I- I don't-” Richie searched for the right thing to say. He had never been very good at comforting people, at least not with his words. And it definitely didn't seem like an appropriate time to try and lighten the mood with a joke. 

“Just, uh-” what is it that people say in the movies? 

“Just breathe,” Richie finally managed to say, “just, take a deep breath. Here do it with me,” Richie made a big show of pulling all the air he could into his lungs and releasing it wit much more sound than was needed. He did it a couple times before Eddie followed his lead, shaky exhales becoming more steady with every breath in.

“Oh my gosh I didn't even think about it--do you need your inhaler?” Richie asked, already standing up to look for it on Eddie's nightstand, but keeping their fingers intertwined.

Eddie went still as he thought about it. Did he need it? Or was it just another part of the placebo Gretta was talking about? When he didn't answer right away Richie looked back at him with concerned eyes. After a moment, Eddie decides that even if the inhaler isn't a fake he was breathing okay and he simply shook his head no. The taller boy slowly moved to sit back down, closer to his friend than he had been before so their legs were touching and their joined hands rested in Richie's lap.

“Eddie, please talk to me,” Richie said.

“I don't even know what to say. I'm probably overreacting and its probably not true, but I just-” Eddie began, but even though he knew he needed to talk about it--he wanted to talk about it--he had no idea how to explain what was going on. It was just such a strange situation. He even started to think that Richie might not even believe it, and then he would think Eddie was crazy for reacting this way for something that was totally bullshit. And then he would make fun of me for-

“Eddie,” Richie caught off his friend's thoughts, knowing that he was probably having too many of them, “Just tell me where it started.”

Eddie looked up at Richie and saw the concern in his wide brown eyes. He could see then that the boy sitting next to him--his loud-mouth best friend that turned everything into a joke--cared about him more than any punchline. So he listened to Richie and started at the beginning, launching into it at a fast pace and telling him about seeing Gretta in the pharmacy before he went on to tell him his own concerns about what his mother might have been doing to him. Richie, to his own credit, listened to the entire time. No side comments whatsoever. Eddie thought that all his crying might have stunned him into this strange sort of silence. 

“I don't know what to think. Because that's something she would do right? I mean, you've met her, and you know how she is,” Eddie continued. Richie seemed to think about this for a moment before he slowly nodded his head.

“I’m so sorry,” was all Richie said in return.

“So you think it's true then?” Eddie questioned him.

“I mean I guess I don't really know for sure,” Richie said as he ran his thumb over Eddie's knuckles, “but… I mean-” he paused for a moment, trying to grasp what he really did think of the situation. It was all just so crazy, “you're right. She.. your mom is crazy,” Eddie took a second to appreciate the fact that his loudmouth friend had refrained from making a “your mom” joke for what must have been the first time in his life, “We've always known that she was. And this-”

“I’m sorry that she did this to you,” Richie finished as he looked over at Eddie. A single tear escaped from the corner of the shorter boy's eye, and Richie reached up with his free hand to wipe it away. Neither of them knew what to say, or if there was anything that they could say at all. What do you talk about when you find out your mother has been lying to for as long as you could process words?

“I’m tired,” Eddie said finally. 

“I bet,” Richie replied, “you've had a day.”

“Yeah,” Eddie snickered.

Richie got up and stood in front of Eddie, taking in his sunken shoulders and downcast eyes as he reached out both of his hands to help him up. Once Eddie was off the bed, Richie pulled back the covers and let the smaller boy climb in first. Richie followed in behind him, laying down so he faced Eddies back.

It was sort of… strange. The quiet. Whenever Richie would come to sleepover they were always talking; blabbering on about something or other until one of them fell asleep. But this was different than anything they had done before. And it wasn't that the silence was uncomfortable, but Eddie could tell that it was making Richie start to squirm.

“I'm glad you came over tonight,” Eddie said, “I was worried for a while that you wouldn't.”

Richie didn't say anything for a minute, and Eddie was starting to wonder if he had said the wrong thing. That maybe he should have tried to say something normal, or start talking about comic books or school starting soon to take the pressure of the serious conversation off. He realized that it was a weird thing to say. It was intimate somehow, and Eddie worried it might have been too much to share with someone who was just his friend.

“I'll always come, Eds,” Richie said in a sleepy voice as scooted forward on the bed to wrap his arms around Eddie and pull him close to his chest.

“Always.”

And when he was finally in Richie's arms, Eddie finally felt better, just like he thought he would. Listening to the taller boys breathing and being able to feel him so close put him at ease at last. With Richie there, everything seemed to be okay. As long as he had this, nothing else really mattered.

But still, as he was falling asleep, he couldn't help but wonder about this. What was this exactly? Richie had held his hand, and as he thought about it, he didn't know if any of his other friends would have done the same. Beverly maybe, but she was almost like a sister to him in some ways, so it was different in that respect. Bill would have just put a hand on his shoulder, and Stan or Mike might have held his hand, but they wouldn't have intertwined their fingers like that. And certainly, none of them would be holding him like Richie was now. Eddie didn't think he would enjoy it as much if it was anyone else instead.

So with that, Eddie tacked another item onto the list of shit he needed to figure out, putting “how do I feel about Richie” right next to “what the hell is my mother doing to me.”

And then, he drifted off to sleep next to the boy that made everything seem okay, even when it was far from it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie Tozier kissed his best friend for the first time on a chilly October night about half an hour after he had climbed through said best friend's second-story window.

**_October 1989 _ ****__**

**__****_ _ **

**__****_ _ **

Richie Tozier kissed his best friend for the first time on a chilly October night about half an hour after he had climbed through said best friend's second-story window. 

Ever since school started back up again, they had gotten into a routine of Richie coming over every night through his window. Some days he would come over right after it got dark and only stay for a few hours to hang out and attempt to do homework before he returned home. On the weekends, though, and even some school nights, Richie slept at the Kaspbrak residence, snoring next to his best friend under the roof of his unsuspecting mother. No matter what though, he always came.

On the particular Thursday night that Eddie Kaspbrak was kissed by his best friend for the first time, they had been trying to study for the math test they had the next day. 

“It takes a special kind of asshole to give a test on a Friday,” Richie said flopping back onto the bed and taking yet another momentary study break to complain.

“Richie,” Eddie said from the seat at his desk, tired of constantly being interrupted, “just study.”

“Okay, yeah,” Richie started, “that's a good idea, Eds. But here's the thing-”

“God, why do I even try with you,” Eddie wondered out loud, rolling his eyes and dropping his pencil and he moved away from his review packet to face his friend, “Okay, tell me how you complete the square.”

“Well, you um... have to make sure all four lines are touching each other-”

“Richie,” Eddie sent him what he thought was his best death glare, and Richie looked somewhat apologetic.

“I seriously have no idea,” Richie said.

“Then get out your review packet and let me fucking show you,” Eddie said like the answer had been obvious the whole time. It had been, but Richie really was not in the mood to do work.

Richie got out his stuff and Eddie gave him a pencil. He explained several concepts to the taller buy, and they turned him loose to answer some of the questions on his own. They had been working quietly for about fifteen minutes, and die was able to make significant progress on his own work. He thought he was going to finish studying before it got too late, but he should have known that the silent environment wouldn't last. Not if Richie had anything to do with it.

“Did you know that over half of our friend group had had their first kiss?” Richie said way too nonchalantly for someone who had just changed the subject from nothing to kissing so abruptly.

“Richie!”

“Its math!” Richie tried to defend himself, “ratios or something, right?” to say the least, Eddie was not impressed.

“I was just thinking about it after what Mike said yesterday,” Richie continued even though Eddie was turned back to his work. Even though Eddie was staring at the equations, he couldn't get himself to focus as his thoughts drifted to what Mike had proudly told the losers the previous day.

They were all sitting down at their table on that particular Wednesday, chatting about anything interesting that had happened in their classes that morning and starting to talk about what they might do that weekend. There was a lull in the conversation, and Mike had taken the opportunity to clear his throat and awkwardly state that he was going to kiss Sarah Brutowski that day after school.

“What?” Beverly had questioned excitedly.

“Mikey!” Richie exclaimed at the same time, while the rest of them looked surprised, if not somewhat pleased as well.

“H-how d-d-did you manage t-that?” Bill asked.

Mike explained that Sarah had come up to his locker before lunch and asked to meet him after school. Mike agreed, and once she had walked away, her friend Leanne had come over and told him that Sarah really liked him and that she wanted him to kiss her.

None of them had ever imagined it would be Mike in this situation. Sure, he had always been handsome, and he had grown even more handsome since they all started high school, but he had also always been shy and did not interact with many people outside of their group.

But sure enough, Mike had ended the day walking out from behind the bleachers with his hand holding Sarah’s while the rest of the losers stood out in front of the school and pretended not to watch them. Sarah had walked Mike all the way to the bike rack, where she kissed his cheek before walking into the parking lot where her ride must have been waiting. Mike didn't say anything to his friends, but the smile they saw from across the schoolyard was enough for them to know that he went through with what he had told them he was going to do. He put on his helmet, got on his bike, and started on his way home with nothing but a wave to the other losers as he rose past them. 

And now that Mike had had his first kiss, and so had Bill and Bev, that left four members who had not. And since Eddie was actually pretty decent at math, he knew that half of the group had not, in fact, had their first kiss. And like always, he felt the need to point out that Richie was wrong.

“Richie, only three of us have had their first kiss. That's not half, dipshit,” Eddie said, and Richie looked up, seemingly surprised that Eddie had continued the conversation at all.

“Actually, four of us have kissed somebody before,” Richie said back, looking pleased with himself for some reason that Eddie didn't know.

“No. Only Bill and Bev, with each other, and now Mike,” Eddie tried further to get him to admit that he was wrong.

“No,” Richie mocked, “I have too.” 

Eddie looked somewhat surprised like he had actually believed the curly-haired boy for a moment before he let out a short laugh and rolled his eyes.

“Oh shut up,” Eddie said, “You have not.”

“I have,” Richie retorted confidently.

“Who was it with?” Eddie asked just to humor his friend and see where the lie was going.

“Your mom,” Richie said, a smug grin on his face.

Eddie sighed deeply, putting his hand over his face and going limp in his chair to show his exasperation. He stayed like that for a moment while he listened to Richie laugh at his own joke. Then he moved his hand and looked at his friend to speak to him.

“Did you seriously orchestrate that entire conversation just to make a joke?” Eddie asked.

“Yep,” Richie said, still smiling.

“Wow,” Eddie said, “And it wasn't even that good.”

“Hey!” Richie pretended to be offended, putting his hand on his chest, and now it was Eddie's turn to laugh.

“As far as first kisses go, moms don't count,” Richie looked like he was about to argue, so Eddie added: “even if it's not your own mom. And especially not if it never even happened.”

Richie pouted but didn't say anything else. Eddie knew that he should have shut his mouth then, that the conversation probably wouldn't have continued if he wouldn't have provoked Richie again. He would have been able to finish studying, send Richie home and make sure he was well-rested before his test. But, even though Eddie liked to believe that he would always do the smart thing in every situation when it came to Richie, things seemed to be different. So of course, he went on talking even though he knew it would only encourage Richie more.

“Jokes like those are why you haven't had your first kiss yet,” Eddie said, “and why you never will,” he added for good measure.

“Ouch, Eds. That hurt,” Richie said.

“Don't call me Eds,” Eddie said in response, turning back to his work and deciding not to acknowledge that he had let Richie call him Eds several times that night without correcting him. That had been happening a lot lately, but Eddie decided not to acknowledge that and why it was happening too.

“At least I know I'm going to have my first kiss before you do,” Richie said, still looking at Eddie to see how the shorter boy would react.

“No way,” Eddie said, “someone would kiss me before they even thought about kissing you.”

“I guess you're right. But it would only be because you're so cute,” Richie said in a mocking tone of voice that Eddie rolled his eyes at, “Cute, cute, cute!” Richie momentarily got off the bed to try and patted his cheek before the boy moved away from him.

“How could anyone keep their lips off you, dear Edward?” Richie laughed again.

“Get back to studying,” Eddie said. It was quiet for one precious moment, and Eddie thought that would be the end of their conversation. But then, Richie spoke again.

“Here, I've got an idea…” Richie trailed off and Eddie heard the bed squeak as he moved around.

“Richie, just-” Eddie started, but he was cut off when he suddenly felt a warm pair of lips press against his cheek. They were only there for a second, but it was enough to halt Eddie mid-sentence and even make him forget what he was ever going to say.

He had the overwhelming urge to wipe the kiss off. The wetness didn't feel right on his cheek, and it was almost gross. But something stopped him. When he turned to give him one of his famous death-glares, he thought he would look up to see Richie doubled over in laughter, but the expected snicker was actually more of a smile. He still looked somewhat smug, but not in the way Eddie had expected. So he didn't wipe the kiss off. Or yell. But simply reached up to touch the spot where his friend's lips had just been, looking at the said friend inquisitive.

“What was that for?” Eddie asked. 

Richie just shrugged and said, “Now over half of our friend group has really had their first kisses.”

“Oh my gosh,” Eddie said, letting out a small laugh, “Do cheek kisses even count?”

“I don't know,” Richie answered, “I can kiss you on the mouth if you want though,” he offered, looking pretty proud of himself for the comeback.

“I'm good, thanks,” Eddie deadpanned, but a smile was still on his face.

Richie shrugged again and smiled jokingly, “You're loss,” and then picked up the math review packet to look at something on the page.

Eddie finally focused back on his own packet, but after Richie had kissed his cheek there was no way he could stay on task. Even Though it was just something playful, he couldn't help but wonder what it really meant. What it meant between them, and also what it meant that even just the slight pressure of Richie’s lips against his skin was enough to make his heart skip a beat. And Richie offering to kiss him on the mouth led to thoughts about what it would actually be like to feel the other boy's lips pressed against his own.

That was somewhat of a new thought. He had been thinking about Richie in a way that might have constituted more than friends for a little while now, but he hasn't let himself think about it too much. It seemed somewhat wrong to think about your best friend like that, especially when you are as close to them as Eddie was to Richie. But with the thoughts of _kissing _, it was harder to push away the possibility of romantic feeling songs.__

____

____

Eddie tried to study for a few more minutes before he finally decided that it was a lost cause. What he knew was what he knew, and he wasn't going to retain any more information that night. The second he turned he turned his chair around to face Richie, the taller boys head shot up to look at him.

“Are we done?” Richie said, grinning.

“Yeah, fine,” Eddie said, “We’re done.

“Yay!” Richie yelled too loud, and Eddie shushed him. He said it again quieter and laughed as Eddie picked up all his stuff and put it in his backpack so it would be ready to go in the morning. Riche moved all of his stuff off the bed, and Eddie filled the now-empty spot next to Richie with a comic book in hand. They read for a while, Richie's head looking over Eddie's shoulder in such a way that Eddie could feel his breath hot on his neck whenever he sighed. Eddie tried to focus on the comic, but he found that he couldn't retain any of it with Richie so close right after all the kissing talk.

By around eleven o’clock it was clear that Richie was probably going to be staying over that night. Eddie was already in his pajamas with his teeth brushed, but he got up out of the bed to grab a pair of sweats that Richie had left over and an old t-shirt for the taller boy. Richie went to the bathroom to change and use a spare toothbrush, following Eddie's orders to be as quiet as possible as to not wake up his mother.

“She won't mind if I'm loud,” Richie said, “I usually am when we-”

“Go,” Eddie said as he hit Richie with one of his pillows. Once his friend was out the door, Eddie settled into his side of the bed. _His side of the bed _. Things with Richie were starting to feel strangely domestic. He made sure to add that to the list of things he was confused about. A list in which a majority of the items had to do with one Richie Tozier.__

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____

Riche returned after a few minutes and turned the lamp off as he got into bed. They settled into their usual positions, Eddie facing the wall with Richie's arm draped over his waist.

“Goodnight,” Richie said as he scooted closer to his friend.

“Night,” Eddies said back. And even though there were a million thoughts about Richie and what would happen if he ended up failing his math test flying through his brain, he ended up falling asleep surprisingly fast.

However, even though he had fallen asleep okay, that didn't mean he was any less tired when he heard the alarm blaring at 5:30 the next morning. He looked at the clock and was thankful that it was only Richies alarm, and he didn't have to be out of bed for another half hour. He let his eyes drift closed again as he felt Richies weight leave the bed and heard the other boy rustling around the room. Eddie felt like he was almost back to sleep when the bed dipped beside him again. After a moment where nothing happened, Eddie all of a sudden felt familiar lips against his cheek. 

Just as quickly as they got there the lips were gone, and Eddie, in his somewhat shocked state, heard the window open and close again before he dared open his eyes. He put his hand where Richie's lip had been, and the almost icky trace of saliva let him know that it wasn't just a strange early morning dream.

Richie kissed him. Again. And so the list of things Eddie Kaspkrak was confused about grew a little bit longer.


	4. Chapter 4

**_October 1989 Part 2 _ ****__**

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**__****_ _ **

Eddie didn't talk to Stan about the alleged kiss—or kisses, as they soon became—until the following Monday.

“Has Bill ever kissed you on the cheek?” Was what Eddie had asked his friend one day when they were walking home from school. Everyone else had already split off from the group to go to their respective houses, but Stan and Eddie lived somewhat near each other, so they always had time to themselves to talk.

“No, I don’t think so,” Stan answered normally like Eddie hadn’t just asked such a strange question out of nowhere, “Why do you ask?”

“No reason, really,” Eddie answered, “I just didn’t know if that was a thing friends did or not,” he couldn’t help but continue to nervously talk, “Like if it’s a normal, um… bro thing or if friends didn’t do that because it was too, like, romantic or something,” he rambled on until Stan was looking over at him with wide eyes.

“Um…” Stan faced forward when he spoke again. His face was scrunched up deep in thought as a stared at his footsteps on the pavement, “Yeah, I guess I don’t really know, Eddie.”

Eddie was glad that Stan hadn’t thought his question was weird, or at least that he didn’t show it if he did. They walked in silence for a moment, Stan still looking like he was contemplating something. After they turned the corner onto Stans block, he finally looked over at Eddie and spoke again.

“Richie kisses you on the cheek, didn’t he?” 

Eddies feet froze on the pavement, all of his movement stopping with the shock of Stan's questions. He stared at the curly-haired boy who has stopped in front of him in disbelief.

“What? How did you—” Eddie began before Stan interrupted him.

“Was it a joke?” Stan asked before Eddie could get his question out.

“Uh,” Eddie started, still in a state of disbelief at how Stan had managed to guess why he had brought the subject up, “No--Well, yes actually. The first time it was, but-”

“The first time?” Stan asked.

“Stan!” Eddie said, upset that he kept getting interrupted.

“Right, sorry,” Stan said, “Keep going.”

“Well the first time it was sort of like a joke, but not completely? I don't know, I guess I'm not really sure,” Eddie continued, speaking so fast he could barely get a breath in between his words, “But then when he did it again--he must have thought I was asleep because it was right before he left--it was really sweet, or I don't know, sweet isn't the right word. I don't know what it was--that's why I’m asking you! And-”

“Eddie, take a deep breath,” Stan said, knowing that if he didn’t cut him off now the shorter boy would ramble on until he gave himself a panic attack. Eddie looked as if he was going to try and say more, but Stan stopped him by putting up his hand.

Stan slowly backed up to get them to keep walking. Eddie followed behind him as he finally continued on the subject. 

“So what do you think about it?” Eddie said, finally catching up to Stan so they were walking side by side again.

“Well it’s—” Stan started while thinking hard about what he was going to say, “I guess it’s not really my place to say.”

“Like hell it's not,” Eddie said, unamused, “Just spit it out, Stanly.”

Stan seemed unphased by Eddie's rudeness as he continued to talk.

“I can’t say if it’s romantic or not,” he said, “That's between you and Richie.”

Eddie was still contemplating what his friend had said when they stopped in front of Stan’s driveway.

“Would it be bad?” Eddie asked before Stan could walk away, “if it was… you know?”

Stan looked at Eddie with a raised eyebrow, wanting his friend to just say what it was.

“If Richie and I were,” Eddie searched for what he wanted to say, “if we were more than just friends? If we were…” 

Stan waited for Eddie to finish, but when it was clear he wasn’t going to he finally weighed in.

“Well, are you?”

“No!” Eddie responded quickly, “No. We’re not… no.”

“But do you think he might want that?” Eddie continued to ask questions, “Do you think—I don’t know. Do you think he might like me, or something?”

“As more than a friend?” Stan asked.

“Yes, Stan,” Eddie clarified, “Like in a romantic way.”

“Eddie…” Stan started, and for a moment Eddie though he was going to destroy any hope he ever had with his answer.

“I can’t say for sure,” Eddie was surprised at that answer, “but have you seen the way he looks at you?”

Eddie looked up at Stan like he had no idea what he was talking about.

“I know Richie jokes with you a lot,” Stan said, “but sometimes he looks at you like… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“And the kisses?” Stan continued, “I can’t tell you what they mean, but—”

“I think he might,” Stan finally finished.

Those words turned Eddies would upside down. Stan wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t really believe it. And now, Eddie didn’t know what to do with his honesty. Some of Eddie's panic must have shown on his exterior because all of a sudden he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t freak out, okay?” Stan said, “Everything is going to be alright. You’ll figure this out.”

With one last pat on his shoulder, Stan turned toward his house.

“See you tomorrow, Eddie!” He waved, and Eddie was left alone with his thoughts on the sidewalk.

As he turned to continue toward his own house, the gears in his head started turning at lightning speed. His head was filled with nothing but thoughts about Richie.

_So Richie likes me? Does he really, though? If he does, then why hasn’t he done anything but kiss me on the cheek? Maybe those kisses are just… friendly? But he’s always touching me, and at night he puts his arms around me… ___

____

____

_Maybe he’s just scared. Maybe he thinks I don’t like him back. Do I like him back? I do like it when he kisses my cheek. And the feeling I get when he does is just… ___

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____

_And maybe I want him to kiss more than my cheek. Maybe… ___

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____

Somehow Eddie had managed to get himself to his front door. He had been too in his head to remember much of the walk there, but he was grateful that his feet had known the way and kept him from getting lost, hit by a car, or something else terrible.

He want inside his house and did his best to push all of his thoughts away as he greeted his mother. Before he could make it up the stairs, she started questioning him about his day, which left him standing in the stairwell with his backpack awkwardly slung over one shoulder. 

“It was fine, Ma,” he gave as an answer to all of her questions.

“Eddie dear, you seem like you’re out of breath. Is everything okay? Do you need your inhaler?” The overbearing Mrs. Kaspbrak worried.

“No, I’m fine,” Eddie responded. When his mother gave him a look like she didn’t believe him, he had to give an explanation.

“Seriously, Ma. I just walked home fast today,” he made up something quickly, “ I have a lot of homework and I needed to get an early start.”

“Whatever you say,” was all she said in response, and Eddie could tell that she wasn’t happy. After Eddie had confronted her about his fake prescription (placebos, he learned they were actually called) his mother had been somewhat less pushy about Eddie taking his medicine. She still made him take his pills and carry his inhaler, because of something about how she was the parent and she knew what was best for him, but she had been more relaxed about her worrying and was even starting to give him more freedom when it came to seeing his friends. Eddie guesses it was because she thought he might report her, or something. Either way, he was as happy as he could be with the small victory.

Eddie turned away from his mother to finish his trek up the stairs, but before he could make it up to his room she called out to him.

“Don’t carry your backpack on one shoulder like that, sweetie. It’s going to hurt your back,” she said, and Eddie didn’t respond and he ran the rest of the way up the stairs and slammed the door to his room, hoping she was too lazy to follow him up the stairs and scold him for not answering her.

As he swung his backpack onto the floor, his mind wandered back to the confusing thoughts that had been plaguing it all afternoon.

He flopped down on his bed and wondered what he should do about the whole situation. It really was confusing. He didn’t know what to think about all these new thoughts of his best friend. But, as perplexed as he was about his feelings for Richie, it was clear to him how Richie made him feel. He felt warm every time they touched, and when Richie puts his arms around him as they’re about to fall asleep. And feeling Richie's lips against his skin made his stomach drop to the floor, and his heart swells from how sweet it was. 

And maybe how Richie made him feel was enough. He didn’t have to figure out what exactly he might want to be with him. Not yet, at least. 

Richie made him feel things that nobody else did, and maybe that was all he needed to know for now.

By the time Richie was knocking on his window that night, Eddie had felt calmer than he had since the taller boy had first kissed him the previous week.

Stan has called him earlier that evening, wanting to make sure that Eddie was doing okay.

“I just had the feeling that you were going to overthink this whole Richie thing,” Stan had said when Eddie asked why he was calling. Eddie assures him that he had gone a little crazy thinking about it earlier, but that he was doing okay with it now. Stan hadn’t pressed any further, and Eddie was grateful for that. And after a quick question about the math homework that had said their goodbyes for the night.

Eddie was glad that he wasn’t still going out of his mind when Richie entered his room that night. If he hadn’t worked it out in his head he know that Richie would be able to tell that something was up. The Tozier boy may have been a complete idiot in some respects, specifically those concerning romance and the proper time to make jokes, but he was always smart about knowing when something was wrong with his friends.

But per usual, as soon as Richie was in the room he sprawled out across Eddie's bed, telling a story about something that had happened in his history class that day which he had forgotten to tell the group at lunch. 

Eddie forgot all of his worries in the normalcy of it all. Even if he was questioning things with Richie, at least he could always count on this being the same. 

They hung out just like they usually did, Richie reading comics while Eddie tried to finish up some of his homework before joining him. Before they knew it, it was 11:00 and Eddie was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“I have to go to sleep, Rich,” Eddie said as he let out a yawn.

“Okay,” Richie said, but didn’t make any move off of the bed and continued to read.

“Richie,” Eddie said, almost annoyed, “we have school tomorrow.”

“I know that, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie said, eyes still focused on the pages before him. Eddie started to discourage his use of the nickname, but was interrupted by another yawn instead.

“Hey,” Eddie said and flicked Richie in the side of the said, finally getting the other boy to look over at him, “Time to go,” he said, smiling at the bewildered look on Richie's face.

“But I don’t want to,” Richie pouted.

“Too bad,” Eddie said, already pushing at Richie to get off of the bed.

“Fine,” the curly-haired boy said as he got up, “We couldn't have little Eddie going without his beauty rest,” he mocked as he pulled on his shoes.

“Shut up,” Eddie tried to say with disdain, but a fond smile appeared as he walked Richie over to the window.

“Have sweet dreams!” Richie said as he swung his leg over the windowsill. He was all the way out of the room when something overcame Eddie and he called out to the taller boy.

“Richie!” Eddie called out.

“Yeah?” Richie stuck only his head back in the window, his hands braced on the roof and his hair falling into his eyes.

Eddie Kaspbrak has no idea what he was doing, but he wanted to do _something _. With a sudden burst of confidence, he reached a hand forward and brushed a curl away from Richie's face before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.__

____

____

Richie looked stunned, and Eddie wracked his brain for something to say that would ease the tension he could feel building.

“Don’t die on your way home,” Eddie said. And even though it wasn’t even a good attempt at teasing, and it didn’t really even make that much sense, but it was the first thing that came to his mind.

However, it seemed to have been the right thing to say, because after a moment Richie smiled up at him, his eyes still wide and his eyebrows raised. He was staring at Eddie in a way that made the shorter boy think he might finally understand what Stan was saying about the way Richie looked at him.

“I’ll try my best,” Richie said before turning away and climbing to the ground. Eddie watched him go, and when his mop of dark hair was finally out of sight, he closed the window and went back over to his bed.

As he pulled back the covers and climbed under, Eddie wondered whether or not it had been a good idea to kiss Richie. But he was too tired to dwell on it right then, even though he was sure he would completely second guess all of his actions in the morning. 

But for now, so what if he kissed his friend on the cheek? So what if it wasn’t completely friendly. Maybe Eddie liked Richie as more than a friend anyway…


	5. Chapter 5

**_November 1989 _ ****__**

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Eddie had never thought much of his birthday. Sure, it was always exciting to be older, to be a little closer to being a grown-up, but he never did much to celebrate.

His mom wasn’t one to throw him birthday parties. She did like the idea of having so many people in the house at once. It was usually just the two of them

Every year since he could remember, his mom had made him an angel food cake for the occasion. And while Eddie thought that angel food cake was pretty good, because any dessert was good when you don’t get to have a lot, he was always left wondering why she had chosen that kind of cake. It was like an old person specialty or something, but still. 

There were a few occasions where he had been able to go see a movie with Bill, and when he turned 13, he had been able to go with Stan and Richie too. Last year though, his mom had kept him home for his birthday. She up some reason or another for why Eddie shouldn't go out, and it was just the two of them and the sad cake to celebrate another year passed.

Eddie's birthday had never been a big deal to him, or to anyone really, and at this point, he was okay with it. He was okay with unwrapping the gifts of socks and new t-shirts from his mother and then moving onto the next day like it was nothing. But even so, this year he was determined to at least see his friends for his birthday.

With Eddie’s mom having a looser grip on him than she ever had before, the losers were able to find the time to meet up at the clubhouse to celebrate. However, that wasn't until Friday night, which a full two days after Eddie's actual birthday. Eddie was looking forward to it more than any other birthday he had before.

Currently, though, it was a Wednesday night, and Eddie was in his room thinking about the event and enjoying his last few hours of being 14. Well, enjoying might have been a rather strong term, because he was spending those last few hours being relentlessly questioned by Richie about what he thought it would be like to be older. But even with all the annoying questions and constant pestering, Eddie was glad to be spending the night before his birthday with his friend.

“I just can't believe you're going to be older than me,” Richie said the words with distaste as he continued to yammer on about Eddie's birthday, “I mean, I'd say I'm the one whos more mature. At least if we're talking about who has-”

“Okay asshole,” Eddie cut the taller boy off, knowing exactly where his sentence was going to end up if he didn't interfere, “first of all, I'm the only one out of the two of us who can actually manage to brush his teeth twice a day. And _I _don't turn everything I say into a sex joke,” Eddie said with a glare, “so hows that for maturity?”__

____

____

Richie just stared at Eddie for a moment, seemingly unhurt by what his friend had just said before he smirked with the idea for a comeback.

“You know Ed’s, I may not turn 15 for four more months,” Richie began, “but luckily, my age has never been a problem for your mom.”

Eddie sighed and put his head in his hands.

“Somehow you've managed to ruin my birthday before it even got here,” Eddie said.

“It seems like that was the opposite of what you're supposed to do when it's your best friend's birthday.”

“Yeah, no kidding fucknut. You're supposed to be nice to me today,” Eddie said.

“Well technically speaking, your birthday isn't actually for another two hours,” Richie pointed out.

“Richie-” Eddie said, putting his face in his hands once again.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I promise that from here on out I won't say anything gross. The next 26 hours of my life will be dedicated to making my little Eddie Spaghetti the happiest boy in the world,” Richie said, putting a smile on his face.

“You can start by not calling me ‘little’ or ‘spaghetti’. And please never refer to me as the ‘happiest boy’ ever again. I'm not fucking seven,” Eddie said.

“You got it,” Richie gave Eddie an awkward thumbs up, “So what does the birthday boy want to do while we wait for his birthday?”

“Sleep.”

“What?” Richie asked, his shock not pretend at all, “But we have to stay up and wait until it's your actual day of birth.”

“But I'm tired,” Eddie said like it was obvious, “and we still have school tomorrow,”

“Well, I guess it's whatever the birthday boy wants,” Richie said, getting off the bed and Eddie followed to pull the covers back.

“Please stop calling me that,” Eddie pleaded.

“That's the one thing I can’t do for you, Ed’s. It's just too cute,” Richie said.

“Ugh,” was all Eddie let out. It sounded much more fake than he had intended it to, and Eddie couldn't help but wonder if Richie had noticed that he didn't hate the nickname as much as he tried to let on.

Eddie made to get in bed, and as Richie was about to follow him, the smaller boy spoke up.

“If you're going to stay you have to brush your teeth,” Eddie said. It was late enough that both boys knew Sonia was asleep in her chair downstairs and she was going to be a rock until morning, which meant there was no excuse for him not to. Richie looked at Eddie with an almost pleading look. Eddie knew that he didn't want to leave the room, that he thought it was agonizing to walk all the way down the hall to perform such a simple task. But hygiene was no joke in the Kaspbrak household, and so after a stern look from his friend, Richie made the trip to the bathroom to oblige by his birthday boys wishes.

Eddie didn't wait for his friend to come back before turning over on his side and letting his eyes fall closed. He really was tried, and he was already dreading the sound of the alarm clock that was going to wake him up way too early for his birthday.

Richie returned a moment later, too soon for Eddie to believe he had brushed for suggested full two minutes. Eddie heard him quietly tiptoe back into the room and softly shut the door. The curly-haired boy made his way over to the bed and turned off the lamp before he crawled under the covers. 

The room was left in darkness, and with what seemed like no hesitation at all, Richie kissed Eddie's temple before he finally laid down.

“Sweet dreams, birthday boy,” he said into Eddie’s ear.

As Richie's arm came around to hold him close, Eddie felt everything but adoration for the other boy melt away. His blush from the tender moment cooled down, but there were butterflies in his stomach that wouldn't leave. Each time Rci He would do something like this, the more hope Eddie had that the boy actually did like him back.

So Eddie fell asleep for the very last time as a 14-year-old with thoughts of his friends warm lips pressed against his skin, and the hope that soon they would be in a similar spot again. He thought of all that he could be with Richie, all that he could do with Richie. Maybe soon he would have the chance. And much too his pleasure, he was so occupied with the possibilities that 15 could bring that he didn't even think once about angel food cake.


	6. Chapter 6

_**November 1989 Part 2 ** __****_

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For one of the first times he could ever remember, Eddie really did feel older after his birthday. Maybe it was because saying you were 15 really did sound much cooler than saying 14, or maybe it was the fact that he was once again older than most of the other losers, except for Beverly, who was born in September. There was a certain smugness that came with being older than Richie Tozier, and for some reason, Eddie was taking more pleasure in it at this age than he ever had before.

Well, to be fair Eddie did know the reason why he liked it so much. It was because Richie was insufferably annoying, and not only that, but he was insufferably annoying in a way that Eddie was completely infatuated with. And any little thing Eddie could to give even a small part of that back to him brought him nothing but joy.

However, as soon as he was actually around Richie, the feeling was quick to go away.

“Hello to you, my birthday boy,” Richie greeted Eddie in his infamous British accent as the smaller boy opened his front door. 

Even though Eddie did feel older just thinking about it, being in the presence of Richie, especially when he was doing the British guy, took away that feeling of maturity. Not only because just being apart of it made him feel like he was a silly kid instead of a distinguished 15-year-old, but because he couldn't help the flutter that happened in his chest whenever Richie referred to him as his. 

“I thought you could use an escort,” Richie explained. Eddie made sure to put extra emphasis on his eye roll before answering.

“Let me get my stuff,” he said before disappearing back into the house, leaving the door open and with his friend waiting outside. He gathered up his fanny pack and quickly slipped on his shoes before stepping outside and shutting the door behind him.

“Come along now,” Richie said, still talking in an accent, “We ought to hurry if we're not to be late.”

They fell into step next to each other as they made their way to the clubhouse where the losers had all agreed to meet that Friday afternoon at 5:30. Riche very enthusiastically launched into a story about a kid in his 7th period English class had asked a really stupid question and everyone had laughed. Even despite Eddies insistence on it, Richie explained that it was not, in fact, him that said something dumb. Eddie complained about his math teacher for a while, Richie listening closely as he could to the frantic rant, and finally, they talked about the new horror movie coming out in December, trying to figure out when they would have enough of their saved to be able to go and see it.

Whenever they were together, they never ran out of things to talk about. It was exhausting, but also something Eddie loved. It was easy to talk to Richie, except for when he intervened with a dirty joke and Eddie had to tell him off. But even with that, and even when they were bickering, it was one of his favorite things about their friendship. It was one of his favorite things about Richie.

They finally made to the clubhouse, still chattering away as Richie opened the hatch and motioned for Eddie to go down.

“Birthday boys first,” Richie said, earning himself a glare.

“I swear to fucking god if you don't stop calling me that-” Eddie started to say back before he was interrupted.

“Okay fine, I'll stop,” Richie said, “whatever the birthday boy wants.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie mumbled as he started down the ladder, Richie laughing to himself as he climbed down after his friend.

“There he is!” Bev yelled as soon and Eddie's feet landed on the floor. He looked around and noticed that everyone else was already there.

“H-happy birthday E-e-eddie,” Bill said. 

“Thanks Bill,” Eddie said with a smile, “Is that a cake?” he asked as he spotted something in the corner that said “happy birthday Eddie” in what looked like red icing.

“Yeah,” said Mike, “Stan made it.”

Eddie looked over to Stan and saw a small blush come over his cheeks at the attention. Eddie was genuinely touched that his friend actually baked for him. Hell, he felt touched by that fact that any of his friends cared enough to be there celebrating him.

What Eddie considered to be his first real birthday party progressed with the same ease as any other hang out. They ate the cake first, after singing and watching Eddie blow out the candles. Everyone and complemented Stan on his baking, for the cake really was delicious, which made him blush again. They had talked for a while and then played two rather intense rounds of UNO before Eddie announced that he was going to have to leave soon if he was going to be home in time for his curfew, which he had gotten his mother to extend to 9:00 in honor of the special occasion.

“H-h-hold on. I h-have s-s-something for you.” Bill said as Eddie started to stand up from the circle where all of the losers on the ground (on top of a blanket, at Eddie's insistence, since there was no way he was going to sit on the dirt, whether it was his birthday or not.)

Bill stood up, motioning for Eddie to stay where he was and walked over to the table to where the remnants of the cake still sat to pick up a package wrapped in newspaper. Eddie had noticed it earlier, but no one had said anything about it and he hasn't asked. While Bill was over there, he grabbed a few other things as well. Eddie opened the present from Bill and inside found a new horror novel; He didn't love reading as much as Bill did, and really preferred to watch scary movies instead, but he was happy that his friend had thought of him and thanked him for the gift. He discovered that the rest of the things that Bill had brought over were cards from everyone else. Bev had written him a heartfelt note and gotten him a bag of gummy bears, which she had remembered were his favorite. Mike had written him a heartfelt note, and it looked like Ben had made his card himself. 

Eddie got up and thanked all of his friends, Beverly even coming over to wrap him in a hug, before he announced that it really was time for him to go if he didn't want to face Sonia's wrath. He climbed back up the ladder with a smile on his face. He closed the hatch behind him and started the short walk through the woods to get to the road and to his house.

Before he could get very far, though, he heard his name being called from behind him. He was worried at first; scared he had about to run into someone from school who was looking to make trouble. But when he turned around he was met coke-bottle glasses and a mop of dark hair that brought his grin back again. For a whole different reason.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Richie said after he had walked over to his friend so they were face to face, “For not getting you anything.”

“It's not a big deal Richie,” Eddie said back to him because it wasn't. Sure, it was nice getting presents from his friends, he certainly didn't need them to know that the losers cared about him.

“I'll make it up to you,” Richie said with determination in his voice.

“You don't have to,” Eddie said in response.

“But I want to,” Richie argued back.

“Richie-” Eddie searched for what he wanted to say, and finally settled on just telling the truth.

“You're enough,” was all he managed to get out at first, but when Richie looked at him, confused, he continued, “you don't have to get me anything. Just you--being with you--that's enough.”

“Even though you're annoying as shit,” Eddie added, just to make sure Richie didn't read too much into what he had said. He was about to say something else when the other boy crushed him in a hug, tightly wrapping his arms around Eddies back.

After the initial surprise of the hug wore off, Eddie moved his arms to circle them around Richie's waist, letting his head rest it against the taller boys chest. It was comfortable; it wasn't like they hadn't done this before. But it was also somewhat thrilling. They had only been in this position before when enveloped in the darkness of Eddie's room, and something about being like this out in the open--even though it was dark--made Eddie's chest feel warm. 

Somehow, it felt more real than anything they had done before. And to be fair, they hadn't done much. And Eddie didn't even know if Richie really liked him back. But it was like the time that Eddie had bravely kissed his friend on the cheek the day he had first figured out what his feelings for him really were--what they really meant. And just like kissing Richie’s cheek while the lamp on his nightstand illuminated the entire scene, being pressed this close to him in the middle of the woods felt so much more conscious than any of the kisses Richie left on his face in the morning while they both pretended that Eddie was still asleep, or Riches arm over his waist as he drifted off at night. It felt like something that they couldn't pretend never happened, and it also felt like an acknowledgment that everything else actually did. 

Eddie would have been content to stay there in Richie arms forever, or at least until some douchebag wandered by and yelled at them or hypothermia finally set in. But alas, Richie finally pulled away to look at his friend in the eyes.

“If it means anything, you're enough for me too,” Richie said. 

Eddie had no idea how to even begin to process what that sentence could possibly mean, and he didn't have any time to think about it then before Richie was leaning in and pressing a warm pair of lips against his cheek. It was quick, and when he pulled back, a smile tugging at the corner of the mouth that had just been against his skin, the butterflies that were always in Eddie's stomach when Richie was around went crazy.

“I'll come over after I leave here, yeah?” Riche said casually, but Eddie could hear a small shake in his voice, indicating that maybe the kiss had affected him just as much.

“Yeah,” Eddie said, still somewhat dazed and therefore impressed with his ability to even get a word out.

Richie nodded once before turning around to make his way back down the ladder and into the clubhouse. Eddie watched him go, but just before he was about to descend, Richie called after his friend.

“Oh yeah, and Eddie?” he started.

“Yeah?” he said back. That seemed to be all he could say at the moment.

“Don't die on your way home,” he finished with a smirk before disappearing into the hatch and closing it.

“I'll try my best,” Eddie said into the darkness, his face completely red and his smile spread from ear to ear. And maybe even though being enamored with Richie Tozier was far off from any kind of mature or distinguished 15-year-old agenda he hoped to have, he knew that it didn't really matter. What he had said was true: even with his silly accents and his jokes that made everyone uncomfortable, and his mild but still there lack of personal hygiene--Richie was enough. More than enough. And Eddie knew that he always would be.


	7. Chapter 7

**_December 1989 _ ****__**

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**__****_ _ **

Eddie could just make out the stupid pink sparkly headband that sat atop Richie's curls through the icy windowpane. He smiled to himself at how ridiculous his friend never failed to be. He grabbed onto the frame and slid the window up to let Richie in.

“Happy New Year!” Richie whisper-shouts as soon the window was far enough open for him to stick his head inside.

“Happy New Year,” Eddie said in return, pretending not to be amused. He couldn’t help but smile though, because even though the headband was dumb Richie looked very, very cute in it. He moved back to let Richie climb in and when to his closet to grab his jacket. When he turned around to talk to Richie, though, he bumped into the taller boy's chest. He wondered why he was so close but then felt him put something on his head.

“Seriously?” Eddie asked taking the glittery “1990” headband off,“ if you want to look like a dork, that’s up to you. But I’m not showing up to Bills wearing this.”

“C’mon,” Richie said, “it’s festive!”

“It’s itchy,” Eddie said.

“What? That doesn’t-” Richie started, but then changed his mind about what he was going to say, “Just wear it. Please.”

“Fine,” Eddie said, trying to sound like he wasn’t happy about it, but failing when he let a small smile came over his face as Richie let out a cheer.

“We better go,” Eddie said as he finished putting his arms through his jacket.

“Ah, yes,” Richie started to answer, “ better get to big Bills before the clock strikes twelve,” he finished, putting on a terrible British accent.

“C’mon,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes and pushing Richie back toward the window. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Richie asked.

“Yeah, now hurry up we need to leave,” Eddie said in response.

In truth, he really didn’t want to go out the window. The height of the second story was daunting, and he was not in the market for another broken bone. But he figured that if Richie could do it, then so could he.

He watched his friend climb through the frame and out onto the gray tiles of the roof. Eddie took a deep breath and swung a leg out into the cold winter air. Once they were both out onto the roof Richie went down the tree first, and then watched to make sure Eddie got down okay, telling him where to place his feet as not to fall. When he finally hit the ground, Eddie was relieved that he had made it, and the two boys hopped on their bikes and set off.

Eddie had made the plan to sneak out of his window to celebrate the New Year the week prior. Bill, Stan, Richie and himself had been at the clubhouse celebrating the start of winter break and the relief that their first semester of High School was finally over. All the other losers had other obligations or had been smart enough not to go out in the cold like this. Usually, Eddie would have been smart enough, but that day his apparently poor judgment had led him to be convinced by Richie to come and hang out. That had been a thing that was happening recently; Eddie was more susceptible to agreeing to do anything or go anywhere with Richie just to spend time with him. Granted, the taller boy did come through his window almost every night, but it wasn't enough. It was like every second they spent apart Eddie felt like he was missing out on something. He was mad at himself for letting his crush make him stupid like this, but at the same time, he was okay with being caught up in the extreme highs and lows of liking Richie Tozier.

This particular moment had been one of the lower ones, They were half-heartedly discussing plans for the break, but all Eddie remembered was how fucking cold it was. That, and how much Richie has complained about it. Somewhere in the conversation, they had turned toward New Year's plans. Bill's parents always had a party, and every year they made Bill and his little brother Georgie stay own in the basement with their own “party” as not to interfere with theirs. Richie joined the basement “party” every year, and Stan did most too. Eddie had only been able to go once or twice on rare occasions when his mom had agreed to let him have a sleepover. They stayed up way too late after the ball had dripped and drank so much soda that Eddie swore he could feel his teeth decaying.

Bill invited everyone over again this year, but Sonia Kaspbrak had already announced to her son that they were going to lay low for the break and that Eddie needed to rest for some reason or another. Eddie didn't feel like arguing with her. He would be okay, as long as he had Richie coming to see him. He had told the others that he wouldn't be able to go, and that's when Richie had suggested sneaking hi out. And then here they were, Eddie's feet pedaling with the sheer adrenaline of sneaking out of his window as he made his way toward his friend's house.

He and Richie didn't talk much on the way, just the normal bit of teasing as both were eager to get to Bill's house and be out of the cold that was turning both of their faces into ice.

They were both relieved when they finally arrived. They hopped off their bikes and wove them through the maze of cars to put them against the garage where Stans bike was already propped up. They made their way up the walkway and up to the front door where Mrs. Denborough greeted them and let them inside. When the made it down the stairs to the basement it was three hours until midnight and the New Year's Rockin' Eve show was playing on the small box television. Bill, Stan and Georgie sat in a circle in front of it, surrounded by various bowls of snacks and laughing their way through a game of Uno and all sporting the same ridiculous New Year's Eve accessories that Riche had forced on the two of them. Bill and Georgie both had on big “1990” sunglasses, the older of the two’s being pushed up onto his head, and Stan was wearing a headband like Richie and Eddies.

“You started Uno without us?” Richie pretended to pout as soon as his feet were off the bottom step.

Well if you hadn't taken so long to get to my house then maybe-” Eddie started, rolling his eyes before he was cut off.

“Well if you hadn't taken so long to get down that damn tree...” 

“Hey, I-” 

Now it was the other boys’ turn for an eye roll.

“Happy New Year to you too,” Bill said, and Stan chuckled along with him.

After a moment, Eddie and Richie got settled down and everyone agreed to start and new game with them. Everyone got bored of Uno after awhile and were left eating Cheetos and popcorn on the floor, listening to Dick Clark announce who was going to perform next in Time Square. The boys talked about various things, and at one point Bill and Richie started a competition to see who could catch the most food in their mouth after throwing it up in the air. Eddie was disgusted when Richie kept trying to eat things he had already dropped on the ground, and he let him know it too. There just wasn't anything he could find endearing about Richie eating dirty food off the floor.

The night continued on like that until it was time for the ball to drop. They counted down and celebrated by cheers-ing their solo cups of 7-Up. They heard all of the adults upstairs cheering, and somehow Richie had gotten hold of one of those awful party horns and was making noise in everyone's face.

“Happy New Year!” he yelled way too close to Eddie's ear before he started blowing the dreadful contraption in his face.

“That's so annoying, stop it!” Eddie tried to control the chaos, but he failed miserably as he was laughing so hard that he fell over on his side while trying to get away from his friend. Stan and Bill started laughing too, and Eddie was glad that he was with his friends at the start of a new decade, even though he wished he could have been with all of them.

After the ball dropped the party upstairs started winding down. The boys hung up downstairs for a while longer until yawns had started interrupting Eddie's sentences and Richie suggested that they go.

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed with him, “I probably need to get home,” he made the move to stand up and Richie did too which earned a confused look from Bill.

“Aren't you g-going to stay, R-R-Richie?” Bill asked, and Stan looked up at him questioning too.

“I'm afraid not,” he said, and Eddie couldn't even tell what accent that was but it truly was terrible, “I have to make sure Edward here gets home okay.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at that, because even though he really did want Richie to come with him, he would be okay on his own. And he didn't want Rich to know he cared so much.

“I'll be fine, Rich,” he said to try and convince him, “you should just stay.”

“No, I don't want you to go alone,” he said, and even though his tone was light Eddie could tell that he was serious. He didn't even turn it into a joke about Eddie being a damsel in distress or something like that, which was pretty out of turn for the trashmouth. Eddie figured it was just because it was so late he was bothering with humor.

“Besides,” Richie continued, pulling Eddie out of his thought, “I can just come back after.”

Eddie considered telling him to just stay one more time, but he decided that it was a lost cause. Richie was going to do what he was going to, and he wanted the taller boy to come with him anyway. And really, he just didn't have the energy to try and change his mind.

“Whatever,” Eddie finally said, adding an eye roll for good measure, “Thanks for having me over, Bill. I'll see you guys soon,” he said as he waved at the boys who were still on the floor before he made his way up the stairs with Richie close on his heels. 

Mrs. Denbourough caught them on their way out the door and after some very forced adult, small talk about the new year she saw them out and the boys headed toward their bikes.

“You know you really don't need to ride home with me,” Eddie said as he picked up his bike by the handlebars and started to walk it back through the jungle of cars and to the road, “you can go back inside if you want.”

“I'm good. Don’t worry about it” Riche said. Eddie was almost alarmed by the lack of jokes he was making, but he was so tired and he understood that Richie probably was too, which served as an explanation. Eddie had spent enough nights with Richie, talking until they couldn't keep their eyes open and they were just voices in the dark, that he knew when his friend was tired he didn't try and hide behind his humor as much. Eddie had come to understand it as some kind of defense mechanism that had just become apart of his personality. 

“Okay,” Eddie said back and they both got on their bikes and started to ride away. They were pretty quiet on the way to Eddie's house, the sleepiness that was taking over them both not doing much to keep up a conversation. And by the time they did finally Reach the Kaspbrak residence, Eddie was sure that if it wasn't for the absolute freezing cold that was surrounding him he would pass out before he even made it to the front door. He propped his bike up next to his house, and Richie left his lying in the driveway. Eddie was making his way up to the front door as Richie interrupted him.

“You're not going back in through the window?” Richie asked.

“I'm too tired for that shit right now,” Eddie said in response.

“Aren't you worried your mom will wake up?” Eddie thought about that for a minute He should be. But at this point, he didn't really care.

“I guess I’ll just take my chances,” he said with a tired smile.

“Alright,” Richie said. Eddie thought that maybe he wanted to say more. Maybe he wanted Eddie to invite him in to spend the night. But right then the shorter boy wasn't focused on anything other than getting up to his bed so he could finally go to sleep.

“Goodnight Richie,” he said as he walked u to the door and unlocked it as quietly as possible with his key, He tried to open as quietly as possible, but before he could get inside Richie was calling after him.

“Wait,” Richie said as quietly as could so Eddie would still be able to hear him as he walked toward his friend, “I forgot something,” even in his exhausted state Eddie could make out the slightest shake in Richie's voice. It was like he was nervous, but Eddie had no idea why.

“What is it?” Eddie asked, somewhat amused but also annoyed that he wasn't upstairs and under the covers. He moved back toward Richie, closing the door so it was only cracked open a sliver.

“I never gave you your New Years kiss.”

And well, that was not at all what Eddie had expected. He wasn't sure what he had though Richie was going to say, but he sure as hell never thought it would ever be something like that. And all of a sudden he wasn't tired at all anymore, there was a lump in his throat and his heart rate was quickening so fast he thought it was about to burst out of his chest.

To say the least, he was confused. He considered that Richie might have been joking, but he hadn't been so quiet earlier that Eddie wasn't lead to believe he was. Putting in all in perspective, they had kissed before. On the cheek, that is. And maybe that's what he meant. That wasn't too out of the ordinary, at least not for them, and so Eddie tried to play it off.

“The New Year's kiss is supposed to happen at midnight, dumbass,” Eddie said back. And truly, he was proud that he managed to get that out even though he was still so caught off guard. But his heart was still beating fast as he waited for Richie's response.

“Says who?” Richie said in return.

“Says everyone,” Eddie told him, “says age-old New Year's Eve tradition.”

“Fair enough,” Richie said, “but it's a new decade! And we cant have Eddie Spaghetti starting it off without a New Years kiss.”

Eddie sighed and figured it was time to give in. Even if it was just a joke, the sooner he obliged with it the sooner he would be in bed. And besides, if Richie really was about to kiss him on the cheek, he wasn't too excited about turning down that opportunity.

“Okay,” he relented, “Fine. Whatever.”

Eddie closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, waiting (hoping) for the warm press of Richie's lips against the skin of his cheek. His chest felt warm and there was a slight stir of the butterflies he had recently gotten used to having when Richie was around in his stomach.

He waited for what seemed like forever. He thought Richie would have just done it, but it seemed that he was taking his sweet time, torturing Eddie with the anticipation. He had almost though his friend had left him, standing in the cold with his eyes shut, waiting for something that would never happen, but then he felt Richie shuffle closer. He felt a hand come up to his cheek and oh that was new. The butterflies got even more restless. And just as soon as he was sure Richie was about to kiss his cheek, the curly-haired boy used his hand to turn his friends face toward his own, and before Eddie could even realize what was happening he felt a pair of lips press hard against his own.

Eddie's eyes widened in shock but still remain closed. Richie stayed where he was for a moment-- _kissing him _\--and Eddie swore he could almost taste the sweetness of the soda still on his mouth. He had no idea what was happening. But he did know that this was something he wanted, that being close to Richie made him feel warm all over, and this made him feel like he was about to completely melt. He hadn't realized how badly he had wanted to kiss Richie Tozier until it was actually happening.__

____

____

However, it was when Richie's lips left his own that Eddie finally did grasp what was going on. They had kissed. On the lips. And even though that had been pretty clear while it was happening, what it meant was something Eddie didn't think he could wrap his head around. What was Richie thinking? Was this something he wanted? Was Eddie something he wanted?

Eddie had about a million questions running through his head, but he didn't get the chance to ask before Richie spoke up.

“Happy New Year, Eds,” he said, still with the shake in his voice, his eyes staring into Eddie's surly wide ones with a warmth that made Eddie almost melt all over again, and a nervousness that made Eddie want to let him know that everything was okay. And with a caress of his thumb over Eddie's cheek, he removed his hand and backed away, He turned around and collected his bike without a glance back at his friend, and just like that he was gone. 

Eddie was left standing by himself in the coolness of what was now a January morning, stunned into place on his porch by what had just happened. Eventually, he made if up the stairs, and without waking his mother. By the time he had brushed his teeth and gotten into bed, he still had no idea what to think about what had just happened. 

He stared up at the ceiling, and despite the fact that just a short time ago he had been about to fall asleep right in his driveway, he was wide awake. He thought about Richie. About how everything with him was so confusing, but at the same time so clearly good. Right. 

There was a lot he needed to think about, and he really didn't want to think about. But as he finally drifted off when a very faint light was steaming through the window, he was still thinking of his friend. The curly-haired goofball who made him feel warm and complete in a way no one ever had before. And even though he had no idea what was going to happen the next day, or what was going to happen with the future of their friendship in general, for that moment, just thinking about the good and sure parts of what they had shared was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all. I realized that I haven't really said anything about this, but I haven't really known what to say. But anyway, when I started writing this fic, this chapter was one of my original ideas, and then everything leading up to it kind of just manifested. so yeah. This is the second to last chapter, and the last one should be up soon. Thanks to everyone who has read this, I hope you've enjoyed it.


	8. Chapter 8

**_January 1990 _ ****__**

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It was a sudden noise that pulled Eddie out of sleep on the first day of the new year. The noise, he found out, was one of many in a merciless tapping that continued on for several moments while his eyes stayed closed. The tiredness he felt in his body from staying up so late the night before allowed him to ignore the sound for a moment, but as he started to come back into consciousness the events of the previous night very quickly came back to him, and just as fast his eyes were open and he was sitting upright in his tiny twin bed.

With the realization that the thrumming was coming from his window came the memories of the only boy who ever came through it. Specifically, the ones from the night before, when they had said goodbye and-- _oh my god the kiss _. Richie _kissed _him. It was tomorrow now, and Eddie was out of the blissful shock of having finally felt Richie's lips against his, no matter how fleeting it was, like he had always imagined. He was going to actually think about what it meant. They were going to have to figure it out together.____

_____ _

_____ _

Or maybe they wouldn't figure it out. Because maybe Richie didn't mean anything by it. It could have just been another one of the things, like kisses on the cheek and the occasional hand-holding or the fucking cuddling while they sleep (because yes, it was cuddling. Eddie had decided that and he wasn't going to deny it). If it was purely friendly, he would accept it and move on. But a big part of him thought that it wasn't. And a kiss on the _lips _. Eddie tried to convince himself that he wouldn't be utterly crushed if Richie didn't actually like him as more than a friend, but he would really just have to figure that out when it came down to it.__

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____

He was pulled out of thought when he suddenly noticed that the tapping had stopped. He got out of bed and went over to the window to look out. He was met with a defeated-looking Richie Tozier leaning against his tree, and the beat of his heart picked up at the sight of his friend. The palpitations were against his will. He couldn't help it, but the curls and the glasses and just _Richie _never fail to make his chest flutter.__

____

____

Eddie unlocked the window and opened it with nervous hands, immediately being hit with the chill of the January air. 

“Hey Rich,” he called out, trying to sound as casual as possible to mask his anxiety. Eddie figured that it would have actually come across that way if it weren't for the crack in his voice and the fact that it was somewhat quieter than usual. 

Richie looked up at him with smiled as if on impulse. But it quickly faded and Eddie could tell that he was nervous too.

“Hey,” Richie called back. And yep. He was definitely nervous too. Just as nervous as Eddie, if not more. He was the one that actually did the kissing, and it finally dawned on the shorter boy that he was probably crawling out of his skin with worry. Eddie would be if he was in his position. He forced a small jittery smile down at his friend to try and provide some sort of reassurance.

“Are you coming up?” Eddie asked after a moment. That was normal. He was doing good, just trying to be his regular self, not his panicky self. Well, most people would say his panicky self was his normal self. Even Eddie would argue differently. So really he was just trying to be calm.

_Calm _. He could do that (he really couldn't).__

__

___Just be calm. ____ _

_____ _

_____ _

“If you’ll let me,” Richie said back.

“Of course I will dumbass,” Eddie said, “why wouldn't I?” he half expected an explanation from Richie right then, but wasn't surprised when Richie just called that he was coming up without saying anything else. He retreated back into his room and sat on the bed while Richie made his way up the tree and in through the window. 

Before he was really ready for it, Richie was standing inside his room, starting over at Eddie like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to enter any further.

Suddenly, Eddie felt something come over him. He was done with normal. Because none of this was normal at all. Richie was there, with his stupid _beautiful _face and an almost shy expression that was making Eddie's heart hurt. And they _kissed _. That wasn't normal from friends. Not at all. So he was done with normal. They would never be exactly the same again, no matter what. So he might as well take a chance.____

_____ _

_____ _

“C’mere,” Eddie said. His voice was quiet and unsure, but Richie still listened, and soon the two were sitting side by side. The taller boy's leg was bouncing, and he kept his eyes focused on his lap, and his smaller friend hoped that he isn't reading the entire situation, as awkward as it was, completely wrong. Because if he was, it was about to get way more awkward, and he wasn't sure if he would ever recover from it.

Eddie Kaspbrak had no idea what he was doing. It was truer in this moment than any other. He wasn't sure if this was such a good idea, but he was committed to it anyway. 

“Hey,” Eddie said and looked over at his friend. Richie finally turned his head to meet Eddie’s eyes. And before he could fully realize what he was doing, Eddie took a deep breath and quickly leaned in, firmly pressing his lips against Richies. 

Neither of them moved. It was almost as awkward as the silence had been; Richie's dry lips, still somewhat cold from being outside so recently, attached to Eddie's mouth. It didn't feel _amazing _, and it was just touching really.__

____

____

It lasted longer than their first kiss, sort of just like a really long peck. But eventually, Eddie pulled back to face his friend and was met with Richie's closed eyes. When he opened them, Eddie saw a combination of surprise and what he hoped was happiness or something of the sort. He got his answer as a watched Richie lick his lips and lean back his, putting his lips back against the shorter boy’s. 

At first, it was just another peck, but then Richie's hands came up to hold Eddie's face. He ran his thumbs against his friend's cheeks as he continued the kiss for a longer amount of time, finally starting to move his lips.

It wasn't great. Even without any experience he knew that. But to Eddie, it was everything. It was finally getting to do what he had been dreaming about doing for _months _. Probably longer if he really considered it. Richie finally pulled back and dropped his hands, leaving Eddie dazed in his place on the bed. He kept his eyes closed for a moment just in case it actually was a dream, wanting it to last for as long as possible. But when he opened his eyes, all he saw was Richie smiling back at him. A matching grin soon came upon Eddie’s face as they sat there looking at each other.__

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____

After taking a moment to collect himself, Eddie leaned back in, but this time to wrap his arms around Richie's neck and place his head on his friends should, hugging the taller boy with a relieved happiness. A pair of arms tightened around his waist, and Eddie was content. They hadn't talked about what the kiss meant, but at this point, he was pretty sure he could guess.

Richie liked him. As more than a friend. They like _each other _. And Eddie was grateful and exhilarated and just _content _.____

_____ _

_____ _

“Wanna read comics now,” Eddie asked as he pulled back from what he figured was the longest hug he had ever shared with anyone. He met eyes with Richie and they both let out a laugh.

“Sure thing, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie said back as he got off the bed and went over to where Eddie kept his collection. 

Eddie knew then that they were definitely going to be okay. They were Richie and Eddie. And even though neither of them really had any idea what they were doing, they would figure it out eventually. _Together _. As it should be.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's it folks. this was my first reddie fic and it wasn't terrible, so I'm proud of it. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this, I hope it was worth your time. I'm thinking of continuing this as a series and writing about how their relationship progresses from Richie's pov, so if anyone would want to read that let me know and I might be motivated to write it. Thanks again for reading!


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